A Juneteenth celebration with about 1,000 people in Oakland, California, turned violent when multiple people were shot and stabbed near Lake Merritt. The residents are trying to recall the new Oakland mayor who prioritized diversity. According to Lokmat Times, one person was reported killed and eight injured. Other reports say no one was killed, and […] The post Sad Juneteenth Celebration with Shootings and Stabbings appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

The Daily Wire found that poultry giant Tyson was selling shirts for its annual Juneteenth celebration, which read that the holiday is the nation’s true independence day. The holiday marks the day that some African Americans in a remote area of Texas learned slavery ended two-and-a-half years earlier. One shirt says, “Juneteenth is my Independence […] The post No July 4th for Tyson appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

'And then you can have some kind of enforcement mechanism'

A video shared on Instagram claims President Joe Biden’s sister, Valerie Biden Owens, is married to Stephen Owens, who purportedly owns Dominion Voting Systems. Verdict: False Multiple sources, including Biden Owens’ personal website, indicate she is married to attorney and businessman Jack Owens. According to Forbes, Stephen Owens is the managing director/co-founder of State Street […]

Here we go again with this guy

Move over McKenzie Scott, there’s a new philanthropic heiress in town. This is Marlene Engelhorn, a Millennial member of one of the richest families in Austria, and the proud owner of several receipts demonstrating how she gave away her inheritance. The heiress, whose forebearers founded the BSAF pharmaceutical company, and who would come to acquire […] The post Austrian Heiress Appoints Fifty Citizens to Give Away Her €25 Million Fortune appeared first on Good News Network.

Books cover reveal Revealing Embodied Exegesis: Transfeminine Cyberpunk Futures, edited by Ann LeBlanc A new anthology of cyberpunk and posthuman stories written by transfem authors. By Reactor | Published on June 20, 2024 Photo courtesy of Ann LeBlanc Comment 0 Share New Share Photo courtesy of Ann LeBlanc We’re thrilled to share the cover and table of contents for Embodied Exegesis: Transfeminine Cyberpunk Futures, a new anthology edited by Ann LeBlanc—publishing August 27th with Neon Hemlock. Embodied Exegesis is an anthology of cyberpunk and posthuman stories written by transfem authors. The included stories explore the limits of the genre: gender-affirming cybernetics, the literary surveillance state, transcendent hive-minds, a transgender coffee machine, and weaponized shitposts. The future of cyberpunk is trans, so stay tuned for an anthology of wild and weird stories exploring the limits of technological transformations of our bodies and minds. Cover art by Lyss Menold; Design by dave ring Table of Contents “The Repossession of Kevin’s Perfect Hair” by Lillian Boyd “Bespoke” by Elly Bangs “Right To Remain” by Riley Tao “Labelscar” by Anya DeNiro “The Woman of Water Dreams” by Ryka Aoki “Syndical Organization in Revolutionary Transition” by Izzy Wasserstein “The Majestic Art of Flesh” by Hailey Piper “Each of Us is All of Us” by TT Madden “The Wrong Body” by AGA Wilmot “Top 11 Reasons Being a Ghost is Better Than Being Human, Actually (via FizzRoll.net)” by Adeline Wong “A Canyon of Blood for the Normalest Man Alive” by Palimrya “The Missile Knows Where It Is” by Petra Skelton “My Robot Body” by Meghan Hyland “Residuals” by Jess Levine “Moonpool” by Coyote Dembicki “The Hundred Eyes” by Catherine Kim “Carseed” by Max Firehammer “A Notorious Intergalactic Criminal” by Maya Deane “ANIMA” by J Jennifer Espinoza Ann LeBlanc is a writer, editor, and woodworker. Her stories have been published in Strange Horizons, Clarkesworld, Escape Pod, and Baffling Magazine. Her debut novella, The Transitive Properties of Cheese, is forthcoming from Neon Hemlock Press in 2024. Ann is also the editor of Embodied Exegesis, an anthology of cyberpunk and posthuman stories by transfem authors. You can find her online at annleblanc.com. The post Revealing <i>Embodied Exegesis: Transfeminine Cyberpunk Futures</i>, edited by Ann LeBlanc appeared first on Reactor.

Books short fiction Five Slippery SFF Stories About Losing Memories and the Self Questions of memory and identity are always tricky, even without the intervention of magical and supernatural forces… By Ratika Deshpande | Published on June 20, 2024 Photo by Debby Hudson [via Unsplash] Comment 0 Share New Share Photo by Debby Hudson [via Unsplash] Human memory is one of my most favorite topics of study. Not only are the cognitive processes that influence it fascinating, but it also inspires the writer in me to ponder what it means to lose certain or all memories, and by extension, one’s self. Here are a few thought-provoking SFF stories that consider the importance and fragility of memory and identity… “The Thief of Memory” by Sunyi Dean Miquon’s village is dying. The drought is relentless. As a young, strong member of her village, she ought to go to the mountains and bring back water from the springs for her people. But the mountains are haunted by a colorless spirit that misleads people into making bargains that benefit only itself. Miquon knows she must be wary, take the water, and not be fooled by the spirit. That she remembers well. But memory is tricky, and she doesn’t remember everything she should, making her task difficult… A heartbreaking story about young people’s ideals, free will and the narratives in which we choose to believe, what becomes legend, and what’s regarded as the truth. “Time: Marked and Mended” by Carrie Vaughn Graff’s people are collectors of memories. They record, archive, and share people’s lives and experiences. When Graff discovers that a part of his memory is missing, he is devastated, for he’s been built to never lose a memory. The anomaly puts him in a crisis—who is he, as an individual and to his people, if he’s so irresponsible with his memories? And what impact will this loss have on the world? Given the reconstructive nature of human memory, Vaughn’s story makes for a particularly interesting take on a situation in which memory is difficult to erase. “The Stop After the Last Station” by A. T. Greenblatt Tito is on a subway train that will take him to the stop after the last station. It takes six silver coins and two and a half years to get there. He knows that when you get to the place, there’s very little of you left. As he waits to reach his destination, Tito struggles to remember. What happened during the journey? Why was he left with only one token? Who is he, exactly, and why has he come here, after all? A story about looking forward, told in reverse-chronological order and through an optimistic lens. “Circle of Memories” by Jessica Meats When Cara opens her eyes, she finds herself sitting across from a witch, who conducted the ritual that gave Cara some magic in exchange for a precious memory. What the memory was or why Cara needed the magic, she doesn’t remember anymore. She knows that the greedy have gone so far as to give up their own names for power, so she wants to take her time to decide what to do with her allotment of magic now that she has so much of it. Elner, the witch, tells Cara that she can stay with her while she decides. As the days pass, Cara witnesses how, when a person in need can’t provide the necessary magic, Elner uses her own memories to help and heal them. Cara is both touched and amazed by Elner’s continuous sacrifices for the good of others. But before long, it starts to become clear that there was more to the day Cara visited Elner and gave up her valuable memory. A clever, heartbreaking story. “The Last Truth” by AnaMaria Curtis Eri is a lockbreaker. Her craft doesn’t require any physical tools; only truths told to no one else, that can be used only once. Each truth takes away a bit of her memory; Eri doesn’t know which memories will disappear. While trying to steal for her contractor on a ship, a musician spots her and asks for her help. It is a small request and one that Eri doesn’t argue with much, for musicians have their own power that one must be wary of. But their encounter brings with it an opportunity, a hope for a better life and freedom from thievery and obligation—an opportunity that would mean risking Eri’s memory, if not her entire self. [end-mark] The post Five Slippery SFF Stories About Losing Memories and the Self appeared first on Reactor.